Persian Koofteh Berenji - Rice Kufta (Guest Post)

I am very pleased and honored to be sharing one of my favorite recipes with Heidi Noroozy and her co-authors of the wonderful Novel Adventurers blog. کوفته برنجی Koofteh berenji (rice meatballs) is a one-meal dish made with rice, meat, yellow split peas and finely chopped fresh herbs shaped into balls and simmered in fried onion and tomato sauce. Please head on over for my Koofteh Berenji recipe along with a tribute to my maternal grandmother.

In a small bowl whisk the eggs and then blend in well together with the rest of the ingredients. Take a handful or 1/4 cup of the mixture and shape into a ball. You make a hole in the middle and stuff some barberries, raisins, walnuts and fried onions inside.

In a large pot, saute sliced onions in a 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil over medium. When transparent, add 1/2 teaspoon of turmeric and minced garlic, saute for another 2-3 minutes. Add in the tomato paste and continue cooking for another 5 minutes, stir well.

Pour 5 cups of water into the pot, bring to a gentle boil and one by one place each koofteh into the pot, cook for about 50-60 minutes on medium-low heat. Do not cover the pot completely. You may place a colander upside down over the top. Taste and adjust the seasoning and add more water if necessary.

I quickly browsed your entire blog and looked at each food photo. Made me appreciate the Persian dishes. Makes me sooo hungry. I love spices. I often dream of going to Marrakech because of spices. I also love kebabs and rice dishes from the middle eastern country. That's why I love your blog after browsing it thoroughly. Would love to visit it more often :)

I was so excited when I found your blog! I am half Persian and have always struggled getting recipes from the family. They all seem to have recipes stored in their heads only! I recently made your Khoresh Ghaymeh and it's exactly like home! I'm making the Koofteh as we speak. Definitely looking forward to trying it out!

Azita, thank you soooo much for your blog! My father and I already tried many of your recepies and we love them! Today we had Khoofte Berenji and it turned out perfectly as all of your recepies! Best regards from Germany Mahsa